[p2p-research] Fwd: Project Proposal

[Michel Bauwens]

Harriet Riley would certainly appreciate more comments on her projects,

since attachments are not accepted it, you can ask her for more details if
necessary, but the mails below have an overview of her proposals already

Michel

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Harriet Riley <harriet.riley at gmail.com>
Date: Dec 14, 2007 2:46 PM
Subject: Re: Project Proposal
To: Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com>


Thank you Michel, your comments are very accurate and useful.

I feel many of them would have been answered had the attachment with
the full details actually arrived (I have no idea why it did not but
this email account has had some similar problems lately).
I can begin to pursue many of your points in the near future, but I
have also reattached the document in the hope that you can get a
butter idea of the project, and copy/pasted it below just in case.

You are right that the details of the execution are critical, and the
structure of the site itself, after all the medium is the message. I
hope this paper goes some way to expanding on that.

Again, my thanks
Sincerely

Harriet

We all know inspiration is like lightning; it's falling from the sky
all the time, and once in a while you become a conductor as it strikes
you with a brilliant plot or plan. But have you ever had an idea you
weren't trained to execute, or conceived an invention you simply
didn't know how to build? It's like a lightning bolt that was destined
for someone else exploded over you instead. You've probably written it
down somewhere, just one or two sentences, because the only thing you
know for sure is that it would be useful, even world-changing, if
somebody with the skills ever heard about it, or showed you how you to
develop it.

And now it's the twenty-first century; the information age, the
communication age, an age when all those notebooks and schemes can
leave the back shelf of your garden shed and get put to work in the
real world, the way you always wanted them to be…

THE WOODEN HORSE
and the
MOON SOCIETY

PART 1. The Wooden Horse
What Wikipedia has done for information, this project will do for raw
inspiration. By using multi-author technology, we intend to create a
web platform where users share their ideas for new technologies and
systems, to gain feedback on how to execute them, or pass them on to
others with the expertise to do so. A cross between a discussion forum
and a blogging site, The Wooden Horse allows individuals from across
the world to post questions, answer those of others and most important
of all, hand over the ideas that they want to see developed, but don't
have the ability to pursue. By sharing these 'lightning bolts' they
can discover whether the notion is viable and, if it is, the idea can
be adopted by another user and transformed into a reality. In this
way, those with the vision are connected to those with the
capabilities. The site gets it's name from the legend of Troy, when
the goddess Athena lent Odysseus one brilliant idea that, when the
Greeks came together to act on it, ended ten years of war.

Here is an example. When I was a teenager studying biological systems
and learning to drive a car, I wondered if heat could be transformed
directly into energy, or if it was possible to capture the heat from
friction. The asphalt roads I skidded on radiated their heat-haze
across the city, and the movement of my feet on the concrete footpaths
walking to the bus stop must have been producing some kind of
accessible power. The question was, could a technology that captures
the electricity bound up in the thousand feet and tyres that pass over
a city's hard surfaces every day be developed? I had no idea, not
knowing the first thing about engineering, but plenty about biology
and renewables. This idea seems too good to let rust, but who was I
supposed to tell about it? Maybe I could find an expert on the web.
But what then? Even if it was possible, how was I going to build it?
There might be some engineering student or technological entrepreneur
out there in the world who would love to hear and use the whole idea,
but they would never get the chance.

Sometimes we think that only expertise in a field can lead to
innovation, but this is simply not the case. Expertise leads to
competency and capability; it is solid knowledge, but not necessarily
inventiveness. Our society revolves around rigid specialisation, yet
in the past, not only the greatest individual minds but also the most
dynamic societies emphasised disciplinary diversity. Whether it was
expressed in the Japanese maxim 'Be acquainted with the ways of all
arts', the ancient Athenian belief that the best poets and scientists
made the best leaders and athletes, or the eighteenth centuries'
aspiration to a 'classical education', leaps forward occur when
knowledges are mixed.
We are trained to think with the established patterns of our
colleagues, to understand the world via the dictates of our
subject-area. We become talented, well-practiced experts certainly,
but not artists, not creators. Outsiders, meanwhile, aren't trained to
think with the professional culture or accustomed rules of your
industry, and as such they are able to approach its problems form an
entirely new angle, free of institutionalised constraints. They come
up with brilliant new methods, products and projects, which go only as
far as their lack of knowledge permits. Maybe their crazy idea simply
won't work, and only specialist knowledge will reveal that fact to the
thinker. But maybe (and more likely) when thought and skill are
combine with that inspiration, a true breakthrough could materialise.

The nature of an idea is like that of a snowball rolling down a
mountainside; it gains size and momentum from everything it comes into
contact with. Current systems of company-based research and patent
applications encourage us to horde ideas, so they don't have room to
grow. The first aim of this project is to foster a mindset of thought
sharing and communicative innovation. This system would open minds and
transform thinking patterns as only humans to human contact can.
The second aim is the ideas themselves, amongst which may be contained
the embryonic solutions to climate change, new ways of building
cities, new forms of farming, or simply better ways to arrange
parent/teacher meetings and set up community gardens in your area.

How does Wooden Horse differ from an ordinary web forum?
It starts with the principle; that information should be shared for
the common benefit. Therefore, it is attempting to generate a culture
of both generosity and honour amongst users. Firstly, that users are
prepared to share their ideas and knowledge freely, and secondly that
those with the ability to use those ideas contact, converse with and
credit the original poster.
Next, the site aims to gain credibility and recognition for its high
quality and productiveness. This would be the original site of its
kind, one that evolved to meet the needs of users, and precipitated a
new way of communicating. The name would become a household phrase and
imply a certain standard.
Users also choose how much credit they take for their ideas; for
example, by the personal details they leave when they post. The level
of engagement -meaning how development and discussion is carried out-
is the responsibility of the users; some may simply want to leave
ideas like lost things for others to pick up, others may want to
participate actively in the creation process and see how their
thoughts work in practice.

We do not simply ask each other questions on this site, we share
inspiration, knowledge and contacts, the raw materials of creation, in
order to see thing come of them.


How would it be done?
-Users would be required to set up an account with their name, e-mail
address, pass-word etc, then place their posts under a tag or heading
(physics, education, economics).
-Only registered members may view the sight or open a posting page
-Others can then reply or comment on posts. All replies would appear
in the full view of other readers, and there would be no concealed
correspondence on the site.
-All posts on the website are dated and logged. Automatic records are
made of who had accessed them. In this way violations and disputes are
easily traced and diffused.
-Searches can be conducted by author, category, date or key words.
-The sight would be policed in much the same way as Wikipedia, that
is, forums and users voting to remove inappropriate material by
consensus. Users could report such material to this group via a
special link to do so.
-There is a list of categories, and authors check the headings they
wish the post to be filed under: Education, Health, Grass Roots,
Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Environment, Development, Business etc.
-The site shares ideas for theories, methods and institutional
structures, not just technologies. There is room for everything.

Other notes
-It may be possible that the website as an entity exists under a giant
'patent', so that every word posted on it automatically becomes the
intellectual property of the one who posted it or perhaps of the site
community as a non-profit organization, thereby preventing
corporations and businesses from 'farming' the site for their own
gain.
-As people may still find the web a little off-putting, to gain
credibility this concept could first be launched by a magazine or
newspaper, where people write in with their ideas, and others respond
to them the following week. After it proved a success, it would move
on-line to deal with the large number of letters and to gain a wider
audience.
-Feeling uninspired but still want to get involved? We would post a
problem of the week on the homepage, were visitors would be handed a
conundrum and given a little information about it, then allowed to
leave their best ideas. These would then be filed under 'past problems
of the week'.
-There could be section specifically for kids and schools, where
people under the age of 15 can post ideas as groups or individuals.
Kids have great ideas, so it would be worth adults viewing this
section too, but it would mainly be for school groups to help one
another. The policing forum may promote the best concepts from this
'Wooden Pony' to the main section.

Potential Problems to Be Addressed
-The site could become a hotspot for eccentrics and crackpot inventers
trading useless or dangerous schemes if not properly policed. However,
Wikipedia has dealt effectively with this, so it could probably be
over-come.
-The site could be milked by big business and industry to the
detriment of the smaller user, hence the need for conditions of use
that must be agreed to when an account is opened, or a way of claiming
the data for those that posted it.
-The Site could be monopolised/dominated by a handful of regular users
(again, Wikipedia seems to have dealt with this, and it has even
proved useful for administration).
-There would have to be a disclaimer along the lines of "The creators
of this website accept no responsibility for incorrect information
added to this site. It is the responsibility of users to isolate and
remedy mistakes. If you are going to attempt something advised by
another user on this site, please exercise common sense and
double-check your facts."

You can't make heroes like Odysseus with a direct line to the gods,
but you can make networks of ordinary people. This way, the next time
you're struck by a blot of inspiration it doesn't just dissolve back
into the either, it gets passed on like the electricity that it is,
through the wires and out to the people who can do something with it.


PART 2. The Moon Society
Scientists sometimes muse that their greatest creative insights come
during the coffee breaks of conferences. Here they can chat with the
peers that corporate and institutional divides normally sunder them
from. The Moon Society website is a professional version of The Wooden
Horse, intending to replicate the seventeenth century clubs for
gentleman scientists that led to such a blossoming of knowledge.
Two things hinder the remarkable rate of scientific advancement in the
21st century. The first is extreme disciplinary specialization and the
second is that scientists must live by employment with a business or
university, restricting the scope of their research and funding.

This project aims to remedy these two issues by providing an instant
on-line peer review mechanism which brakes down disciplinary borders
and fosters a culture of ideas-sharing over data-hording.
On the site users can:
-Share results immediately and gain feedback on their implications
-Ask questions of fellow scientists
-Propose solutions to problems experienced by others
-Integrate parallel research projects
-Suggest ideas for now technologies, methods etc. that others may wish
to develop or be involved in developing

The process is similar to blogging, or rather chatting, in that users
open an account (universities and their faculties may have overarching
accounts which employees use) and leave posts that others comment on.
All these comments occur in full view of other users so that a long
conversation evolves around the original post.

It allows researchers in one discipline to make suggestions to and ask
questions of those in others in an atmosphere that is at once
professional, friendly and flexible just like the conference coffee
breaks. Projects that at first seem disparate in their focus, one in
medicine, one in zoology, may find productive common ground, while
ideas that one researcher is not qualified to develop can be taken up
and put to work by another. It serves to integrate the industry
vertically as well as horizontally by allowing isolated scientists to
participate i.e.; those who are younger, in the developing world or at
smaller institutions.

There are three possibilities as to how this forum could be
administered. Each involves an external actor providing the platform,
and along with it, their reputation, security and resources. The first
is that a well-know journal like Nature or Science be the
administrator. The second is that a university or team of universities
(such as the IARU) fill this role. The third is that a non-profit,
well-established organization, such as the Royal Society, or even the
United Nations, be placed in charge.

Eventually, a subsidiary forum would evolve, where the public is
allowed to pose questions and suggest ideas. This allows still fresher
ideas to meet with expertise, and allows areas other than science the
benefits of peer-to-peer communication. In other words, The Wooden
Horse Project detailed above would evolve from The Moon Society, with
more though less professional discussion taking place.

Harriet Riley                   harriet.riley at gmail.com                 1
December 2007

On 12/13/07, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Harriet,
>
> Many thanks for your interesting letter, though I can see no attachment
...
>
> However, I'm proceeding on the basis of your description below.
>
> It is very hard to predict whether your project would succeed or not, a
lot
> depends not just on the idea, but on its execution, ability to generate
> critical mass etc...
>
>  A few things that come up:
>
> 1) do you distinguish between the priority of needs? is there a way to
match
> the proposal with some existing problem that needs a solution?
>
> 2) what are the validation mechanisms, what kind of process can sort out
the
> myriad of proposals according to some principles, or judgments that make
> sense? simple rating, a prediction market, an auctioning mechanism?
>
> 3) does it connect with an existing community?
>
> 4) 'what's in it' for those, not that propose, but have to judge, to avoid
> that it is only a forum for people interested in their own proposals?
>
> 5) if chosen, how does a project get funds?
>
> Have you looked at sourceforge and similar deposities of free software
> projects, which have similar dynamics?
>
> or sites like appropedia.com (open design projects)?? innocentive?
>
> how would it be different from such existing initiatives?
>
> I by no means want to discourage you, I think it is generally a very good
> idea, but the devil is in the details of the execution, and in the ability
> to connect with players who have the means to support initiatives ...
>
> Michel
>
>
> On Dec 13, 2007 12:12 AM, Harriet Riley <harriet.riley at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Dear Michel Bauwens
> >
> > I write to you with a proposal regarding peer-to-peer networks and Web
> 2.0.
> >
> > I received your contact email from Adam Arvidsson, my media teacher,
> > following the lecture you gave to our class a few months ago on the
> > subject of peer-to-peer. It inspired me to re-think a project I had
> > conceived earlier in the year, at a time when I was uncertain of its
> > viability.
> >
> > The attached document contains an outline of two web-based projects.
> > The first is entitled 'Wooden Horse', a web portal that allows users
> > to share inspiration in the way that Wikipedia allows them to share
> > raw information. Essentially it is a site where users post ideas for
> > technologies, organizations and theories that they themselves either
> > cannot create or do not know how to begin creating.
> > What makes it different from standard web forums is that it covers all
> > subject areas facilitating cross-disciplinary collaboration and
> > allowing contact between the least and most knowledgeable. In this way
> > ideas that are useless to the person who conceived them, but relevant
> > to someone else, are brought out of secret notebooks and into the
> > light. Should 'Wooden Horse' develop a firm reputation, it would set
> > the precedent for 'notion networking' or creativity sharing as a kind
> > of mother site. It would then grow into a valuable and highly
> > productive community resource, unowned yet facilitating worldwide
> > innovation.
> >
> > The second project, 'The Moon Society', gets its name from a 19th
> > century scientific gentlemen's club in Britain (which included the
> > likes of Sir Isaac Newton). This exclusively professional version of
> > the above 'Wooden Horse' idea is less relevant (though equally
> > valuable in another context) and has only been included to illustrate
> > the conceptual origins and guiding principals that formed 'Wooden
> > Horse'.
> >
> > I believe that, given the chance, 'Wooden Horse' could become a
> > renowned medium for cultural exchange and productivity, advancing the
> > principals of generosity, cooperation and freethinking.
> >
> > Having discussed it with Adam, we agreed that you were most likely to
> > know whether or not the idea is feasible, if there is a need for it,
> > and how to go about initiating it.
> >
> > Your opinion and advice on any of its aspects would be deeply
appreciated.
> >
> > Sincerely and with regards
> >
> > Harriet Riley
> >
> > Mb: (+45) 50 25 39 48
> > harriet.riley at gmail.com
> >
>
>
>
> --
> The P2P Foundation researches, documents and promotes peer to peer
> alternatives.
>
> Wiki and Encyclopedia, at http://p2pfoundation.net; Blog, at
> http://blog.p2pfoundation.net; Newsletter, at
> http://integralvisioning.org/index.php?topic=p2p
>
> Basic essay at http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=499;
> interview at
> http://poynder.blogspot.com/2006/09/p2p-very-core-of-world-to-come.html
>  BEST VIDEO ON P2P:
> http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid=4549818267592301968&hl=en-AU
>
> KEEP UP TO DATE through our Delicious tags at http://del.icio.us/mbauwens
>
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-- 
The P2P Foundation researches, documents and promotes peer to peer
alternatives.

Wiki and Encyclopedia, at http://p2pfoundation.net; Blog, at
http://blog.p2pfoundation.net; Newsletter, at
http://integralvisioning.org/index.php?topic=p2p

Basic essay at http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=499; interview at
http://poynder.blogspot.com/2006/09/p2p-very-core-of-world-to-come.html
BEST VIDEO ON P2P:
http://video.google.com.au/videoplay?docid=4549818267592301968&hl=en-AU

KEEP UP TO DATE through our Delicious tags at http://del.icio.us/mbauwens

The work of the P2P Foundation is supported by
http://www.ws-network.com/04_team.htm
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